ST. ALi Italian Film Festival dishes up first taste of 2025 program
The ST. ALi Italian Film Festival is set to return to Perth for its 2025 edition, featuring a fresh selection of the best new Italian cinema at Palace Cinemas Raine Square, Luna Leederville, Luna on SX, and Windsor Cinema from Wednesday, September 25, to Tuesday, October 22.
Presented by Palace, the film festival is the largest celebration of Italian culture and film outside of Italy. The full lineup will be announced in late August, but the first round of highlights offers a glimpse into a program that showcases the extraordinary filmmaking and acting talents of Italy’s finest.
Opening the festival is Paolo Genovese’s new film, Somebody to Love (FolleMente), a romantic comedy with an all-star cast featuring Edoardo Leo, Pilar Fogliati and Vittoria Puccini. Following the international success of Perfect Strangers (IFF 2016), the film reveals the innermost thoughts and uncertainties of a modern Italian couple on their awkward first date.
From acclaimed filmmaker Ferzan Özpetek comes Diamonds (Diamanti), a stunning, female-led drama set in 1970s Rome. The film features Luisa Ranieri and Jasmine Trinca, who star as sisters running a couture costume house, and explores the lives and relationships of the women working within it.
Also playing is The Boy with Pink Trousers (Il ragazzo dai pantaloni rosa), featuring rising star Samuele Carrino. The film explores the real story behind Italy’s first publicised case of online bullying, and after its release, garnered much attention in Italy and sparked important discussions about the issue.
Festival favourite Toni Servillo returns in The Illusion (L’Abbaglio) alongside popular comic duo Ficarra & Picone. Directed and co-written by Roberto Andò (Strangeness, IFF23), the film is a fun reimagining of Giuseppe Garibaldi’s 1860 campaign that unified Italy. It blends comedy and drama to illuminate a piece of history, exploring the paradoxes of Sicilian identity.
For comedy lovers, When Mum Is Away…With the In-Laws (10 Giorni con i suoi) marks the third chapter in the Rovelli family saga. Directed by Alessandro Genovesi and starring Fabio De Luigi and Valentina Lodovini, the hit comedy follows the family’s latest misadventure as they head to Puglia.
The 2025 ST. ALi Italian Film Festival screens at Palace Cinemas Raine Square, Luna Leederville, Luna on SX Fremantle and Windsor Cinema Nedlands from Wednesday, September 25, to Tuesday, October 22, 2025. For more information, visit italianfilmfestival.com.au